拯救大兵瑞恩-影视风暴-休闲英语-轻松英语-洪恩在线

Saving Private Ryan

剧照１ Only after the staggering[1] extended battle sequence does Spielberg introduce you to the characters and story. Still reeling from Omaha Beach, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is given another assignment. Within days, three of the four Ryan brothers have been killed in action[2]. The youngest, Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), is alive somewhere behind enemy lines. Miller is to take his squad to find and retrieve the soldier.

The film accompanies the men on their harrowing[3] search, as they increasingly question their mission. While they understand the reasoning behind the assignment, they also see the cold reality. In order to soften the terrible blow for Mother Ryan, the military is putting their eight lives at great risk. Is the compassionate gesture worth the potential body count?

Steven Spielerg films are often heavy-handed, but he displays great restraint here. The harrowing war scenes never feel like director's grandstanding[4], and the sentimental moments are heart-wrenching without becoming drippy. Similarly, John Williams' haunting score beautifully accents the film. Thank goodness they held themselves back from emotionally bullying the audience.

A crowning[5] cinematic achievement, "Saving Private Ryan" doesn't romanticize or condemn World War II. It is far more effective by presenting war with simple, stark honesty. Spielberg told the Los Angeles Times that he made the film for the men who survived, as well as those who perished. "It is to honor them with the truth and to hopefully teach something," he said. "Audiences today go to the movies, and they are often thrilled by violence. This is intended to show the other side of what violence does to human beings."

He achieved his goal.

注释：

1. staggering：
stagger的本意是“摇晃、蹒跚”，另外还有“使人吃惊的”意思，比如：It's a fantastic task that staggers the imagination. 那是件令人难以想像的艰巨伟大的工作。所以staggering这里是“令人震惊的”意思。

2. been killed in action：
阵亡。Action的意思很广泛，在这里特指战争中的军事行动。

3. harrowing：harrow的本意是“耙子”，做动词是“弄伤、使痛苦、折磨”的意思，所以在这里harrowing就是“令人感到痛苦的”意思。比如a harrowing story一个令人伤心的故事。

4. grandstanding：
本意是“大看台”，这里的意思就超出了这个简单的意思，指导演要吸引人的地方、炫耀之处。

5. crowning：
我们知道crown有“皇冠”的意思，那么“值得戴上皇冠的”当然就是“最好的、第一流的”。另外，crown做动词还有“加冕、完成”等意思。

拯救大兵瑞恩

剧照２在这一长段令人震惊的战争场景之后，斯皮尔伯格才将影片中的人物和故事展现在观众面前。仍在奥马哈海滩，约翰·米勒上尉（汤姆·汉克斯饰）接受另一项任务。数天内，瑞恩的另三个兄弟都在战斗中阵亡。最小的一个，士兵詹姆士·瑞恩（马特·达门饰）还在敌后某处身处险境。米勒的任务是带领他的小队寻找并拯救这个士兵。

影片一直围绕着这队人悲惨的搜寻过程，他们对任务越来越怀疑。当他们明白这项任务的真正原因时，他们也看到了冷酷的现实。为了减轻对瑞恩母亲的巨大打击，军队把这八个人置身于极度危险之中。难道说（军方表现出的）这种充满同情心的姿态真的值得以这些生命为代价吗？

史提芬·斯皮尔伯格的电影经常是大手笔，但他在这部影片中表现了很大的自我限制。悲惨的战争场面从不会让人觉得导演是在故意买弄，那些感伤的时刻令人感到心痛，而不是流泪。同时，约翰·威廉姆斯的萦绕心头的动人乐曲为影片增色不少。感谢他们从纯粹煽情的影片风格中回归。

作为电影史上的一个最高的成就，《拯救大兵瑞恩》没有美化或诅咒第二次世界大战。影片极其有效地以简洁、完全真实的方式展现战争。斯皮尔伯格在《洛杉矶时报》上说，他是为那些生还的人，同样为那些牺牲的人制作了这部影片的。“这是带着真实的态度给予他们荣誉，并希望告诉人们一些什么”，他说，“现在的观众去电影院，他们经常从暴力镜头中感受恐惧的感觉。这部影片旨在表现暴力对于人类的另一面。”

他达到了他的目标。

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